1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plasma actuated ignition and distribution pump. Specifically, the plasma element is used to provide high temperature for ignition and high pressure for distribution of plasma-ignited chemical fluid and fuel throughout a propellant mass.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,062 Chryssomallis et al discloses a typical ammunition for use in a Combustion Augmented Plasma (CAP.TM.) Gun, wherein high temperature and high pressure are created in a capillary using a high voltage source such as a Pulse Forming Network (PFN). The plasma thus created is injected through a gun breech block into a gun cartridge to ignite a propellant , augment combustion and fire a round. The plasma is primarily used to control combustion thus providing increase in muzzle velocity of a projectile while reducing peak value of gas pressure inside a gun barrel. In this prior art, the capillary and the plasma generation apparatus are set in the gun breech block and remain inside the gun as successive projectiles are launched from the gun.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,154 Chryssomallis et.al discloses a propulsion or pressure amplification system in which a dielectric plasma serves as a pump means to deliver fuel to an oxidizer chamber. In this prior art, unlike the present invention, the use of plasma to ignite and distribute combustion throughout the propellant is not spatially balanced. Particularly, plasma ignition is limited to a point source and is not distributed in a piezometrically efficient manner to provide near complete ignition.
The present invention is distinguished from the prior art and provides several advances and advantages. Among the distinguishing features include harnessing plasma not only to ignite a propellant and augment combustion, but also to pressurize and to distribute plasma-ignited chemical fluid and fuel throughout the propellant. Further, the present invention promotes significant advances over the prior art by creating a progressive burning surface which enables the propellant to reach maximum pressure levels and sustain these levels in a controllable manner thus attaining high piezometric efficiency, which is the ratio between the mean pressure and the peak pressure. Moreover, in gun-charge-projectile systems, by balancing the plasma discharge into a propellant mass and by developing forward thrust components, the present invention enables acceleration of the plasma-ignited chemical fluid, fuel and propellant mixture down the gun tube and exerts substantially uniform pressure throughout the length of the gun tube to thereby provide high ballistic efficiency, which is the ratio of the total work done on the projectile to the total work potential of the burning chemical. The combined effect of high piezometric and ballistic efficiencies yield, inter alia, high energy output and high muzzle velocity. Heretofore, high explosion and detonation undermine the attainment of high piezometric and ballistic efficiency in an impulse propulsion system in which a chemical and electric energy are used to create propulsive forces and pressure for accelerating a projectile in a gun tube. As will be discussed herein below, the present invention eliminates these problems and enables optimization of the total work potential of the propellant as well as creation of a uniform pressure profile by attenuating erratic peak pressures.